Gummed tape applicator



May l 1934 l.. F. Koss, JR., ET Al. D 1,956,742

GUMMED TAPE APPLI CATOR Filed OCT.. 30, 1931 /N VENTO/, Louf F." Kosl JK, @rd Nar/owe H. K/afef;

Patented May 1, 1934 GD TAPE APPLICATOR Louis F. Koss, Jr., Indianapolis, and Marlowe H. Kluter, Richmond, Ind.

Appiication ctober 30, 1931, Serial No. 571,952

7 Claims.

This invention relates to the art of devices for applying gummed tape to various articles such as shipping cartons where such tape is employed to seal and retain iiaps of the carton in closed positions.

A primary purpose of our invention is to provide a gummed tape applicator which is constructed in such manner that the tape may be initially threaded therethrough by merely stick- 10 ing the tape through the device without having to pass it between rollers and narrow openings.

It is a further object of our invention to provide a gummed tape applicator wherein the water reservoir may be removed and replaced at will without interfering with the threading of the tape through the device.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an extremely simple and eifective tape applicator that may be loaded with both tape iand water with the minimum number of operaions.

These and other objects such as the provision of means for cutting oif the tape and for grasping the end of the cut off tape, means for permitting the use of diiferent widths of tape in the one device, will become apparent in the following description of the invention as illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a device embodying our invention,

Fig. 2, a front elevation,

Fig. 3, a rear elevation, and

Fig. a View in perspective on a reduced scale of the water tank cartridge.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views in the drawing.

We form a frame 19 substantially U-shaped in cross section and across the front thereof, spaced upwardly from the floor of the frame an appreciable distance therefrom, we mount the cutter bar 1l. In order to insure certain cutting ori of the tape without pulling it oiT of the roll, we form the under edge of the bar l1 to have a plurality of teeth which are sharpened. We cut notches or slots 12 in the sides of the frame 10 from the upper edges thereof at a sufcient distance back of the bar 11 to permit the roller 13 to be dropped between the sides of the frame 10 just back of the bar to have the axle 14 which 5o carries the roller to rest by its ends in these notches.

The outer ends of the axle 14 extend beyond the sides of the frame 10 to pass through and be secured by the arms 15 and 16 which are piv- .55 oted to the respective sides of the frame. These arms continue rearwardly from their pivot points to be joined with the transverse bar 17 which extends across the upper side of the frame 10 and enters slots or notches cut in the upper edges of the sides of the frame whereby the transverse bar 17 may travel vertically as the arms 15 and 16 may be rocked. A horizontally disposed plate 18 is carried across the frame 10 between the upper ends of its side walls just back of the roller 13 and on this plate is secured a handle 19. Be- 65 tween the cross bar 17 and the base of the handle 19 at the rear thereof is positioned a spring 20 normally pulling the cross bar 17 upwardly to rock the arms 15 and 16 whereby the roller 13 will be tended to be carried to its lower-most position as limited by the axle 14 striking the lower ends of the notches 12.

The sides of the frame 10 toward their rear ends are carried upwardly to form the supporting brackets 21 and 22, each of which has a slot 75 cut therein from its upper edge to receive thereacross the pin 23. A roll of tape 24 is revolubly carried between the brackets 21 and 22 by having the pin 23 slipped axially through the roll and dropping the ends of the pin into the bracket slots. rIhe distance between the brackets 21 and 22 is preferably made such that a roll of tape having a width such as will be most commonly used may be received therebetween. Where tape of a narrower width is desired to be used, spacing spools 25 and 26, preferably of the same width are slipped over the pin 23, one on each side of the roll 24.-. In order to retard the rotation of the roll 24, we provide the spring clips 27 and 28, each iixed by one end to the respective brack- 9o ets to have the other free end compressively bear against the sides of the spools.

A water cartridge or tank 29 is formed to be essentially rectangular in shape to have a width that will permit it to be slidingly entered between the sides of the frame 10. Across the top side at the front end thereof is provided a slot through which a wick 30 is tted to extend upwardly therefrom a slight distance. The wick extends down to within the tank whereby water therewithin will pass through the wick and keep the upper and outer end in a moistened state. We provide a latch means to retain the cartridge 29 between the side walls of the frame 10 so as to hold the wick 30 directly below the roller 13. This latch 105 means is here shown as comprising a bayonet type engagement wherein a pin 31 projecting from the side of the tank 29 is entered in the slot 32 in the side of the frame 10, the slot 32 being substantially L-shaped whereby the pin 31 110 may rst travel through a short horizontal section and then enter and drop down into a vertical section so as to prevent fore and aft movement of the tank between the frame walls while the tank rests upon the floor of the frame. By lifting the rear end of the tank and then pulling the tank rearwardly, the tank may be removed from the frame.

In loading the applicator, after the roll of tape 24 has been placed on the pin 23 as above indicated, and the tank 29 removed from the frame, the end of the tape is pulled down from the upper forward side of the roll 24. to carry it under a transverse rod 33 which is horizontally disposed and carried in fixed relation by the sides of the frame 10. From under the rod 33 the end of the tape 2li is carried out under the roller 13 and the bar 11. Before carrying the tape between the walls of the frame 10 as just described, the water tank 29 has been removed so that the space between the walls of the frame 10 and below the rod 33, Vroller 13 and bar 11 is entirely open and of suiiicient height to permit the entrance therein of the fingers of the operator in such a manner that the end of the tape merely is placed under the rod 33 and pushed on through over the floor of the frame l() to extend from the front thereof. In some cases it is preferable to carry the tape over the top of the rod 33 and under the bar 17, in which case, the tape will tend to lift the bar 17. When the tape has been thus carried through, either below or above the rod 33, the water tank 29 is then entered between the side walls and over the floor of the frame l0 from the rear and is pushed forwardly to bring the wick 30 against the under gummed side of the tape. The height of the top of the wick 3D is made such that when the pin 31 has been positioned within the slot 32 to secure the tank in place, the roller 13 has been lifted somewhat against the pull of the spring 20 whereby the tape is yieldingly pressed against the wick 30. The roller 13 is preferably made of rubber to have a slightly yielding surface although this is not essential. Now by pulling the tape 24 forwardly from over the wick 30, the moistened end thus secured may be placed on the article (not shown) to which the tape is to be applied, following which the applicator may be lifted by the handle 19 and pulled backwardly from that point of attachment of the tape so that the desired length of tape is properly moistened and is allowed to drop down on the article from the forward end of the applicator. The operator will follow over the tape with the left hand to press it against the object as the applicator is moved along. When the desired length of tape has been unwound, the applicator is given a down movement at its front end to bring the teeth of the bar 11 against the tape 24 and thence on down through it to completely sever it.

When the tape has been cut olf by the bar l1, there will be a short end having a length equal to the distance between the teeth of the bar l1 and the under side of the roller 13 projecting beyond the wick 30. The sides of the frame 10 are preferably cut away whereby the operator may have suicient room to reach under the bar 11 to grasp this end of the tape when the applicator is to be again used. It is thus to be seen that by making the water cartridge or tank 29 removable, there is no difculty encountered in carrying the tape through the device. Furthermore, the tank may be removed easily and quickly to insert the wick and also for refilling. It is to be noted that the insertion of the water tank to its working position aids in carrying the tape through the device since the wick strikes the under gummed surface of the tape thereby tending to engage with the tape and carry it along therewith as the roller 13 is lifted somewhat to give the necessary pressure on the tape against the wick.

When the tape is carried over the rod 33 to pass directly under the bar 17, pulling of the tape from over the wick causes the tape to push upwardly on the bar 17 so that the roller 13 will be pressed more firmly against the tape to in turn cause it to press more moisture from the wick thereunder. The amount of this increased pressure on the roller 13 is of course determined by the extent of the drag on the roll 24 as occasioned by the springs 27 and 23.

It will be observed that by reason of the construction of our applicator above described, a standard size roll of tape may be carried by the applicator, the standard size having initially a diameter in the neighborhood of seven inches. Also it is to be noted that by locating the cutter bar 11 out in front of the device, the strip of tape which has been moistened and applied to the package or carton being sealed may be cut olf to the exact required length without waste and without any preliminary setup for cutting predetermined constant lengths. By reason of the shape and weight of the applicator, it may be rested on two fiaps of a carton to hold them down while the tape is fed from the applicator over the edges of the flaps to seal them in closed positions. Vv'here tape has heretofore been cut off in exact lengths and then brought to the carton, difculty was experienced in holding down the flaps and applying the free strip at the same time. It is also obvious that the applicator, while here shown and preferably is used as a portable device, may remain stationary and have the tape pulled therefrom and cut off to desired lengths.

While we have here shown and described our invention in the form as now best known to us, it is obvious that changes may be made without departing from the spirit of' the invention and we therefore do not desire to be limited to that precise form beyond limitations that may be imposed by the following claims.

We claim:

1. In a gummed tape applicator, a frame, a pair of levers pivoted to the frame and connected by a cross bar at one of their ends, means for revolubly supporting a roll of tape, a vertically reciprocable transverse roller journaled in the levers at the ends opposite the cross bar, a water cartridge, and a wick across an end of the cartridge, said cartridge being formed to be slidingly received by the frame, and stop means limiting the travel of the cartridge over the frame to have said wick maintained under the roller to hold the roller in a raised position, comprising pins on the cartridge entering downturned slots formed in the walls of the frame from the end of the frame said frame being adapted to have tape carried from said roll under and contacting said cross bar and under said roller whereby the insertion of the cartridge into position in the frame will carry the wick and the roller against the tape.

2. In a gumrned tape applicator, a frame, a pair of levers pivoted to the frame and connected at one of their ends by a cross bar, a roller journaled to the ends of the levers opposite the cross bar transversely across the frame toward its front end, the underside of the roller dei-lning the top of a relatively high opening thereunder, a spring pulling upwardly on the cross bar to normally lower the roller, means for supporting a supply of tape back of the roller whereby an end oi the tape may be freely brought from the supply and out through said opening causing the tape to press upwardly against the ross bar of the levers, a water cartridge, and a wick in the cartridge, said cartridge being shiitable in the frame to permit its being brought under said tape to cause the wick to press the tape against said roller.

3. In a gummed tape applicator, a frame, a pair of levers pivot-ed to the frame and connected at one of their ends by a cross bar, a roller journaled to the ends of the levers opposite the cross bar transversely across the frame toward its iront end, the underside of the roller dening the top of a relatively high opening thereunder, a spring pulling upwardly on the cross bar to normally lower the roller, means for supporting a supply of tape back of the roller whereby an end of the tape may be freely brought from the supply and out through said opening causing the tape to press upwardly against the cross bar of the levers, a water cartridge, and a wick in the cartridge, said cartridge being shiftable in the frame to permit its being brought under said tape to cause the Wick to press the tape against said roller, and a cutter bar across the frame having its under cutting edge above the underside of the roller and normally out of contact with said tape as it may be fed out from over said wick.

4. In a gummed tape applicator, a frame having a relatively large passageway therethrough through which tape may be freely inserted, a water cartridge adapted to enter into said passageway, a wick across an end of the cartridge, and a compression member across the passageway under which said wif-k may be placed to have the tape pass compressively therebetween a pair of levers connected by a cross bar at one of their ends and carrying the compression member at their other ends and pivoted tothe frame between their ends,

the tape pressing upwardly against the cross bar to aid in normally lowering the compression member.

5. In a gummed tape applicator, a frame, pin support means on the frame, said pin carrying a roll of tape, a removable spacing spool on the pin, one on each side of the roll, spring means pressing each spool and yieldingly resisting unrolling of said roll, a wick, a roller vertically reciprocable above the wick, and lever means associated with said roller carried by the frame, said lever means being formed to have a member projecting into the path of tape passed from said roll to between said roller and Wick whereby the tape is angularly disposed therebetween and the tape constantly held between the roller and wick and pulling of the tape from between the roller and wick causes the tape to tend to rock said lever means to lower the roller into closer holding Contact with the wick.

6. In a gummed tape applicator, a frame having a pair of spaced-apart supporting brackets each slotted from its upper edge, a pin carrying a roll of tape having the ends of the pin journaled in the bracket slots, spacing spools on the pin between the roll of tape and the brackets and spring clips fixed by one end to the respective brackets and bearing compressively at their other free ends against the sides of the spools.

7. In a gummed tape applicator, a frame having a pair of spaced-apart supporting brackets each slotted from its upper edge, a pin carrying a roll of tape having the ends of the pin journaled in the bracket slots, spacing spools on the pin between the roll of tape and the brackets and spring clips ixed by one end to the respective brackets and bearing compressively at their other free ends against the sides of the spools, a Wick over which the tape from the roll is drawn, a roller vertically reciprocable above the wick and means whereby manually pulling on the tape moves the roller away from the wick.

LOUIS F. KOSS, JR. MARLOWE H. KLUTER. 

